About Me

 

About me… Nancy… she is a child of God, wife, mother, sister, mimi, aunt and friend…

I am a floral and interior designer who has been blessed with many artistic gifts in my life, living with my true-love, my husband, Steve.  We have been married almost forty years!  I am the mother of two of the BEST sons ever who have been blessed with two of the best wives ever!!  As "Mimi" and "Poppy" we have four "Exceptional Grandchildren"!!!  I am totally in love with God – my creator, my family and being an artist.  I believe mercy, grace, joy and love are the most important things we can give and receive. God has been and continues to be so good to us….

 

 

I am truly a self-taught designer who found I had a real love and talent for floral design and use of color many years ago.  Then, at 28 years old, with two small children, I was nearly stopped in my tracks by fibromyalgia.  It is a muscle condition, which could put me flat on my back without warning.    For many years, I went from doctor to doctor who could not help me.  My faith in standard medical practices all but vanished because their drugs were doing more harm than good.  Every day I prayed that God would give me the strength to get through that particular day.

 

There were times through those years where I did improve for a while.  It was during one of those "improving times" that I purchased a local silk floral and design business.  This failing business had gone downhill, but I brought it back from disaster to become "The Place to Shop"  in our community.   With a lot of my personal time invested in the business and some good employees, "The Straw Basket" began its comeback.  When able, I worked 40, 50, 60, and yes…sometimes even 70-hour work weeks.  At one point, I had two locations and up to eight (8) employees.  And yes, I did this while fighting fibromyalgia.

 

Retail is a tough business even for those with good health, but, as my condition worsened, I was forced to downsize my business with each passing year.  While this was hard for me to do, I was reassured that God was guiding me down this path for a reason.  I had always found fulfillment and happiness following His plan, so I put my trust in Him during that as well as other difficult times.

 

 

In March 0f 2003, I knew it was time to make a change.  Knowing that God had given me a talent for floral design made it even harder for me to accept the possible closing of such an important chapter in my life.  While I was searching for direction, a friend urged me to look into the opportunities that the Internet and eBay could provide.

 

I couldn't give up on my dream because, besides a wonderful and loving family, florals had become vitally important to me.  It was definitely a gift that could have only come from God.  I knew I could never fully give up on this one thing I could always do and do very well.  It was with God's help, my determination and the uncertainties of my health that I stepped out into the "online" world and found my place on the Internet.

 

My husband Steve and I built a new house with a custom designed studio complete with storage space and work counters.  Since the studio is located right across our breezeway, I can "go to work" each morning without having to get in my car!  It was here in my "shop" that I embarked upon my new venture — selling wreaths on eBay and the Internet.  It took me a while to figure it all out by studying and reading, and then studying and reading some more.  I did know that one very special feature would be included in all of my designs — the ladybug.

 

Ladybug Wreaths was born, and since then, my wreaths have been selling all over the world!  My business and my spirits are soaring.  I became a Power Seller on eBay in less than 6 months.  My shop filled up so quickly with supplies, wreaths, and new merchandise that I had to add employees

 

 

As I worked from my home with fibromyalgia flaring up again, I started my own extensive research, study and reading.  I discovered a wonderful endocrinologist in Atlanta, GA.  Through him I learned that my fibromyalgia, as well as other health issues of mine, came from Celiac disease.  I was gluten intolerant!  To combat this disease and get my life back, I gladly went on a very strict gluten-free diet, which eventually led me to leave off sugar, soy, eggs, dairy, milk products and all canned and processed foods.  I eat natural, fresh, and organic as much as possible.

 

Then, another "divine appointment" awaited us in Atlanta, GA.  In May, 2009, my husband drove me to Atlanta to see my endocrinologist.  There we met his new partner, a marvelous Christian nutritionist.  She had just joined his practice and praised me for my personal research and for the supplements I had discovered and had begun taking.  That day she totally changed my supplements nearly scaring me to death.  She literally added the final "ingredients" to my life that are leading me to freedom from fibromyalgia.

 

 

 LIFE IS GOOD!  I AM SO GRATEFUL FOR MY FAMILY AND MY FRIENDS!  I ALSO THANK GOD EVERY DAY FOR THE MANY FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES, AND BUSINESS PARTNERS I HAVE MET WHILE BECOMING IN INTERNET MARKETER.  I LITERALLY KNOW AND TALK TO MANY PEOPLE ALL OVER THE WORLD!

 
I would have never believed what my life would eventually become when I was that 28 year old woman with two young children who thought her life was ending!